Mine skip



March 1951 G. 1.. SAUNDERS 2,545,170

MINE SKIP Filed Sept. 11, 1948 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 3 glo 5 6 Q 0 B 00 a IINVENTOR 1 GUY SAUNDERS ATTORNEY March 13, 1951 G. SAUNDERS 2,545,170

MINE SKIP Filed Sept. 11, 1948 '3 Sheets-Sheet 2 I NVENTOR GUY SAU NDERSATTORNEY March 13, 1951 G, SAUNDERS 2,545,170

MINE SKIP Filed Sept. 11, 1948 3 Sheets-Sheet 5 l-NVE NTOR GUY L.SAUNDERS BY I ATTORNEY as the skip is raised to the surface.

Patented Mar. 13, 1951 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE MINE SKIP Guy LefanuSaunders, Toronto, Ontario, Canada Application September 11, 1948,Serial No. 48,843

'7 Claims. (Cl. 214'--120) 1 This invention relates to a mine skip foruse particularly in raising ore from a mine to the ground surface.

Mine skips or buckets are used in raising ore from the various levels ofa mine to the surface.

The skips ordinarily are in the form of elongated buckets adapted to becarried on bails which form a frame within which the bucket is carriedand which slide on guides or on relatively heavy timbers provided forthis purpose in the mine shaft. The skips are raised from and loweredinto the mine shaft by a cable.

The conventional skips have several important disadvantages. Theskips'are as large as possible in order to raise maximum loads, withinthe limits of the mine shaft and the cable hoist apparatus of course,and they must be strongly reinforced to withstand the shocks andstresses to which they are subjected in loading and raising.

upside down to dump the load into a chute which usually leads to astorage bin. The conventional skips thus involve costly head framestructures and dumping equipment.

Buckets which empty through the bottom have been proposed butdifficulties are found in their use. For example, the bottom of thebucket must'be capable of withstanding the shock of the bulk load ofheavy ore dropped into it, and it must carry the load safely withoutdanger of leakage of ore or of the bottom swingin open Also, at thedumping position, the skip must be swung clear of the mine shaft beforeany of the load is discharged.

One of the important objects of the present invention is to provide amine skip which empties through the bottom and which is devised withshock absorbers which absorb the shock of the bulk load as it is dumpedinto the skip at the loading point. I A further important object of theinvention is a .it has reached its dumping position.

A still further object of the invention is to provide a simplearrangement of sealing the joint between thewalls and the bottom Oi thbucket to prevent leakage of material during loading and raising.

A still further object of the invention is to provide a relativelysimple arrangement of guides for swinging the lower end of the bucketaway from the mine shaft and clear of the bottom supporting member asthe skip reaches its dumping position.

The skip of the present invention comprises, in general, a frame-adapted.to fit and move within guides, an elongated bucket resilientlysuspended .from the top of said frame, a bottom hingedly attached tosaid bucket, resiliently mounted means carried by said frame adapted tosupport said bottom in the loading and raising of said bucket, meanscarried by said bucket adapted to engage tracks spaced from said guidesfor swinging the lower end of said bucket out of the frame and away fromthe bottom supporting member, and means for closing the joint betweenthe. lower end of the bucket walls and the hinged bottom member.

An understanding of the manner in which the above and other objects ofthe invention are attained may be had from the following description,reference being made to the accompanying drawings in which: a

Figure 1 is a perspective view of a mine skip embodying the features ofthe present invention in a raising or lowering osition;

Figure 2 is a perspective view of the skip in a dumping position;

Figure 3 is a detail view in section taken along the line 3-3, Figure 1;

Figure 4 is a detail view in section taken along the. line 4-4, Figure1;

Figure 5 is a detail view partly in along the line 5-5, Figure 1; and

Figure 6 is an enlarged detailed View in section of the lower end of theskip.

Referring to the drawings, the mine skip of the present inventionincludes, in general, a frame comprised of bails Ill having atransversedraw bar H, an elongated bucket I2 and associated parts, and a doorsupporting apparatus, all of which are described in detail hereinafter.

The bails l 0 are in the form of relatively heavy channel beams or otherstructural shapes adapted to fit around three sides of the mine timbersIS on which they slide. Usually a wearing shoe is interposed between theopposing faces of the timbers and the bails. The bails l0 and the drawbar H form a frame within which the bucket I 2 is suspended.

The draw bar ll extends transversely section taken of the upper. end ofthe bails l and is provided with centrally disposed hanging bars Hi towhich the mine cable I6 may be firmly secured, such as by bolts H. Theends of the draw bar are secured in the enlarged upper ends 18 of thebails Ill, described hereinafter.

The manner in which the bucket is resiliently suspended from the drawhead is illustrated in detail in- Figure- 3; Hangers 2t! in the form ofrelatively heavy ininhers are formed by upward extensions of twoopposing sides of the upper end of the bucket. These hangers 26 are de=signed to withstand the loads to which they are exposed. A shaft 2| isextended through housings 23 provided in hangers to secured to opposingsides of the bucket. Rubber shock absorbers 22 are inserted between thehoiising 23' and the hanger 20. The shaft is journalled in resilientlymounted bearings 24 provided in the draw head l8. The hearings 24 aremounted arrangement of th'e'shaft 2i provid s in effect resilientlymounted pivotal connection between the draw head and the upper end ofthe bucket.

The bucket 12 ordinarily is of rectangular s ape and is forinedofi'elatiyelfy heavy side plates capable-of withstanding the loads towhich it is subjected. A pair of rollers or wheels are rotatablymount'eoeo'js'ee t the edges o the lower ends of the sides of thebucket. These ifollers' or whe ls are adapted to engage tracks 39'provide at the dumping" position f the shaft to swingthe' lower e ho ofthe bucket out of the theme. The wheels 30 aie rotetehly' mounted on:short shafts" joiifrialled housings 4-1 se- Qtiied td tl'i Sides" or thebucket, illustratd in Figiire 5. t t

Tfi bucket i pidvi dd With a safety latch to hold it firmly within thebails IB during raising an lowering. a AlfieferredfOnn of safety'latchcomprises a latch" catch 3] in the: form of a stud extending from eachside of the blicket about midway of its length and positioned adjac'entto a bail. This latch catch is hoiiiielly' engag'ed by the hooked end 32ofen' l -shap'd latch sewhioh is pivota y secured to the bracket 35 onthe side of each bail remote from the mating stud 3|.

The latch is proyided with an a m 3 which carries an outwardly extendingroller 37. This roll r 31 is adapted to engage a track 38 posi tio'nednear the dumping position of the shaft which. as the bucket motes uwardly. raises the latch from the stud 3| immediately prior to the engagment of the wheels 30 with the dump track 39. I u

v Stop b ocks are pifovided on the sides of the skin normally to aid inholding" the skip in alignm nt with the bails".

The base or bottom 56 of the bucket is hingedly seei eo to the lower rarward ed e of the uck t. Preferably, "as illustrated in detail inFigures 1, 2 and 4, the hiiig'es are is the form of heavy straps whichare pivota ly secured to the bucket a .ace'nt to but slightlyjsliov'ethe lower end and are fir in y secured thereto. This arran einent of hiigelily securing" the bottom to the Bucket permits the bottom to open thefull area or t e lower end of the bucket without any restriction wouldinterfere with the discharge of the load when the bucket is in itsdumping position, as illustrated by Figure 2.

The bottom of the bucket is in the form of a heavy casting of a typesuitable to carry safely the loads to which it is subjected. The bottomis resiliently and pivotally secured to the rearward face of the bucketadjacent to but spaced apart from the lower edge thereof by a shaftwhich is journalled in roller bearings Bl mounted in bearing housings 62which are carriedby castings 85 secured to each side of the skip bucket.The housings 6 2 are spaced from the hinges 63 by rubber or othersuitable shock absorbing blocks 64, as illustrated by Figure 4.

The bottom is supported resiliently and firmly during loading, raisingand lowering by a cam track; and roller arrangement illustrated byFigure 6. In this arrangement, a shaft i9 is journall'ed inan" outwardlyextending housing H securedto or otherwise carried by each bail I0 belowthe bucket. A rubber or other suitable shock absorbing block 15 isinterposed between the ends of the shaft and the housing H.- A wheel orroller E2 is mounted" at eachendof the shaft between the housings HPreferably, roller bearings 13 are interposed between the rollers andthe shaft and rubber or' other shitable shock absorber blocks 14 areinterposed between the bearin housing 11 and the rollers.-

The rollers 12 move on cam tracks; 16' which are" secured to theunderside of the bottom 50, the tracks being designed so that when thebucket is in alignment with the bails the bottom is held firmly in aclosed position, as illustrated by Figure 1, and as the lower end of thebucket is swung outof the balls, the curvature" of the cam trackspermits the bottom to open to its fu lest ext nt. as illustrated 15yFigure 2 The joiht between the bottom so and the lower edges of thebucket" are sealed by relatively heavy rubber stripe at which aresecured to the lower edges of the bucket by bolts 81. Preferably paralel strips are employed which extend downward y to contact the depotsurface of the bottom 50 and are of sufficient length to provide a seabetween-the edges of the bucket and the bottom.

The bottom at of the bucket is provided with a li earin'g irate R5 nd aso is preferably provided with a shock absorb r 86', such as a thickblock of wood, between t e wearing plate and the bottom. the ass mblybeing detachably secured toget r by bolts 81.

In th use f the skin, the bucket is locked in ali nment with the bailsdurin loading, raising to its rll' 'mnin posit on and lowering from itsdum ing position. As the skip is raised to the dumping position, the endof the safety latch es ate's the track 38 and is released. followingwhich the roller 3'] n ages" the dump track 39 and the lower end of thebucket swung outw'atdli from the bails and the bottom is o'erfn tted toopen. Preferably. the cam track 16 is desi n d so that the bottom isheld firmly in its closed position until it is over the unloading chute,clear of the shaft. After dumping its load, the skip is lowered, intothe mine shaft and as it is lowered the bucket is returned to itsposition in alignment with the tails and locked in position by thesafety latch. 1

The skip of the present invention possesses a number of importantadvantages. The mine shaft head frame may be built substantially lowerthan with conventional skips and the relatively costly dumpingarrangements are eliminated with attendant important savings inconstruction costs. The bucket empties instantaneouny as soon as itis'clear of themine shaft which increases the amount of ore-"which canbe raised in as'pecified time. The arrangement of the shock absorbersfor theparts subjected to the shock of the bulk load dumped into thebucket at the loading levels'minimizes the wearing effect of the loadand eliminatesthe difficulties which heretofore have offset theadvantages of bottom dump bu ts:

-It will-'be understood, of' course, that modifications may be made inthe preferred embodiment of the invention described and illustratedherein without departing from the scope of the invention defined by theappended claims.

What I claim as new and desire to protect by Letters Patent of theUnited States is:

1. A mine skip comprising a frame adapted to fit and slide withinguides, an elongated bucket resiliently suspended from the top ofsaidframe, a bottom for said bucket, means for hingedly attaching saidbottom to said bucket comprising a shaft journalled in spaced bearingsmounted in housings carried by said bucket adjacent to but spaced fromthe lower edge of the rearward face of said bucket, a hinge strapcarried by said shaft and secured to the undersurface of said bottom, ashock' absorber between each bearing housing and the adjacent hingestrap, means adapted to support said bottom in the loading and loadcarrying positions of the bucket, means carried by said bucket adaptedto engage tracks spaced from said guides for swinging the lower ,end ofsaid bucket out of the frame away from; the bottom supporting means andmeans for closing the joint between the bucket walls and the hingedbottom member;

2. A mine skip comprising a frame adapted to fit and slide withinguides, means for suspending a bucket in said frame which comprises atransverse member extending between opposing sides of said frame andfirmly secured thereto, a transverse ,shaft journalled in spacedbearings mounted in housings carried by said frame below said transversemember, shockabsorbers between said bearing housings and said transversememher, a hanger mounted at each end of said shaft between said bearingsand secured to the upper end of the bucket, a shock absorber between theshaft and each hanger, a bottom hingedly attached to said bucket,resiliently mounted means adapted to support said bottom in the loadingand load carrying positions of the bucket, means carried by said bucketadapted to engage tracks spaced from said guides for swinging the lowerend of said bucket out of the frame away from the bottom supportingmeans, and means for closing the joint between the bucket walls and thehinged bottom member.

3. A mine skip adapted to fit and slide within guides-,an elongatedbucket resiliently suspended from the top of said frame, a bottomhingedly attached to said bucket, resiliently mounted means adapted tosupport said bottom in the loading, raising and lowering positions ofthe bucket which comprises a shaft journalled in spaced'housings carriedby saids frame below said bucket, shock absorbers between said housingand said frame, at least one cam track carried by the undersurface ofsaid bottom, and a resiliently mounted roller mounted on said shaftadapted to engage each cam track, means carried by said bucket adaptedto engage tracks spaced from said guides for swinging the lower end ofsaid bucket out of the frame away from the bottom supporting member, andmeans for closing the joint between the bucket walls and the hingedbottom member. 4. A mine skip comprising a frame adapted to fit andslide within guides, an elongated bucket pivotally suspended from thetop of said frame, a bottom for said bucket, means for hingedlyattaching said bottom to said bucket comprising a shaft journalled inspaced bearings mounted in housings carried by said bucket adjacent tobut spaced from the lower edge of the rearward wall of the bucket, ahinge strap carried by said shaft and secured to the under-surface ofsaid bottom, means adapted to support said bottom in the loading andload carrying positions of the bucket, means carried by said bucketadapted to engage tracks spaced from said guides for swinging the lowerend of said bucket out of the frame away from the bottom supportingmeans, and means for closing the joint between the bucket walls and thebottom member.

5. A mine skip comprising a frame adapted to fit and slide withinguides, an elongated bucket pivotally suspended from the top of theframe, a bottom for said bucket, means for hingedly attaching saidbottom to said bucket comprising a shaft journalled in spaced bearingsmounted in housings adjacent to but spaced from the lower edge of therearward wall of said bucket, means adapted to support said bottom inthe loading and load carrying positions of the bucket, compressiblemeans adapted to close the joint between the lower edges of the bucketwalls and the bottom member, and means carried by said bucket adapted toengage tracks spaced from said guides for swinging the lower end of thebucket out of the frame and away from the bottom supporting means.

6. A mine skip comprising a frame adapted to fit and slide withinguides, an elongated bucket pivotally suspended from the top of saidframe, a bottom for said bucket, means for hingedly attachingsaid bottomto said bucket comprising a shaft journalled in spaced bearings mountedin housings adjacent to but spaced from the lower edge of the rearwardface of said bucket, compressible means secured to the lower edges ofsaid bucket and adapted to close the joint between the lower edgs of thebucket walls and the bottom member, means for supporting said bottommember in a closed position in the loading and load carrying positionsof the bucket, means for latching said bucket in alignment with saidframe, means carried by said bucket adapted to engage tracks spaced fromsaid guides for swinging the lower end of the bucket out of the frameaway from the bottom supporting means and means for releasing said latchto permit the lower end of the bucket to swing out of its alignment withsaid frame.

'7. A mine skip comprising a frame adapted to fit and slide withinguides, an elongated bucket pivotally suspended from the top of saidframe, a

'bottom for said bucket comprising a relatively heavy casting having awearing plate secured to the load carrying surface thereof and shockabsorbing means between said wearing plate and said casting, means forhingedly attaching said bottom to said bucket comprising a shaftjournalled in spaced bearings mounted in housings adjacent to but spacedfrom the lower edge of the rearward face of said bucket, means adaptedto support said bottom in the loading and load carrying positions of thebucket, compressible means adapted to close the joint between the loweredges of the bucket walls and the bot- 7 tom member, and means carriedby said bucket UNITED STATES PATENTS adapted to engage tracks spacedfrom said guides um Name e for swinging the lower end at the bucket out172-0 383 Alexander Mu July 1929 of the frame and. away from the bottomsup- Watson fig-film Apr" 1941 wrung means- 5 2,335,352 Murtaughi mam---Nov. so, 1943 LEFANU SAUNDERS 2,345,328 Conway efl a1.- .36. Mar. '28,1944 FOREIGN PATENTS REFERENCES CITED Number Country Date Th'foll'o'wing references are of. record in the 10 2 G at Brita-111 u 31 12 file of" this patent: 360,745 Great Britain 3-6 Nov. 1-2; 1 931

